Operation Comet
by K8
Summary: It is an alternative conclusion in the place of Endless Waltz. Somebody has been going around causing chaos both on Earth and on the Colonies. Relena Dorian seems to be the next target. The Gundam pilots are forced to fight once again.
1. Chapter 1

A.C 196  
  
Christmas Eve  
  
  
  
Soft gentle white snow slowly descended from the skies. It is a beautiful journey towards earth that is awed by those who take their time to observe this phenomenon. Despite the coldness of the flakes, the city remained active with life. People briskly walked on the streets, eager to get together with their families and friends. Noisy chattering filled the air along with the warm glow of decorative lights from buildings.  
  
It was Christmas Eve. It is a time of festive celebration and heart-warming reunions with families. Christmas is the holiday that symbolized love and peace the most. Besides the spirit of giving, the atmosphere was thick with reminiscence and reflection. People always quietly think about what had occurred for the past year, whether they were good memories or bad. The end of the year is a sign for one to start reflecting of the year's progress.  
  
Lady Une gently touched the glass of the window that lead the view of the city from her office. The cold emitted by the hard, clear substance gave her fingers a refreshing, cooling effect. The room was generally silent except for the soft chattering of people that came from the other side of the door.  
  
One year has already past… Lady Une thought as she continued to stare into the twinkling lights of the night scenery. One year has already past ever since the Libra incident. Visions of memorable events flashed through her head.  
  
Lady Une walked over to her desk and collapsed on her chair. She reached for a half empty glass of champagne. After bringing the rim to her lips, she gave out a small sad sigh.  
  
"Treize-sama is dead and so are OZ and the Romafeller foundation. Along with them, the Gundams and their pilots have disappeared. Has peace finally come?" Lady Une thought as she leaned back and threw her head back. The fluorescent lights gave the ceiling a gentle glow. "Although the United Earth Nations follows Relena's philosophy of complete peace, they secretly finance a secret organization to prevent future wars from starting."  
  
An impertinent smile worked its way on her lips. "For someone who was appointed through election, the president is smart."  
  
A short series of knocks interrupted her thoughts. The door swung open with ease and a lady with short hair stepped in.  
  
"If you don't show your face at least in the celebration, its going to reflect badly on the Preventers to the president," Noin nonchalantly reminded her colleague.  
  
"You're right," Lady Une chuckled softly under her breath as she rose from her chair and headed for the door. Holding the door open with one hand, Lady Une turned to look out through the window for the last time.  
  
"Goodbye…Treize-sama."  
  
  
  
Operation comet  
  
Chapter one  
  
  
  
Ninmu Ryokai  
  
  
  
John Smith was an ordinary man who was well in his fifties. Life had been extremely kind to people ever since the war was over. He no longer had a feeling of dread and fear as to what the next day might bring. Total peace and calm occupied his heart as he went to work everyday. The only thing that he was waiting for was his retirement. His daily routine consisted of going to work in a warehouse every morning at 7 o'clock sharp, and he would then close everything up in the evening. Nothing during that particular morning gave any indication that something would go wrong. Extremely wrong.  
  
As John turned the knob of the door, he heard a faint click . . .  
  
* * *  
  
Hours later…  
  
Authorities are still investigating the cause of the explosion that occurred in the Storage Facility no. 5 early this morning. The Storage Facility served as one of the main warehouses of the major shipping company, "FedEx" . . .and here's the head of the Criminal Investigation Agency, Lady Une . . .  
  
A huge flock of reporters descended upon Lady Une as she exited the remains of dilapidated building. Lady Une gritted her teeth as she prepared herself to be barraged by several questions. Some regarding the situation while some were inquiries about Treize and OZ. She hated the latter ones the most.  
  
"Lady Une, can you confirm that the explosion was a terrorist attack?"  
  
"No comment." Lady Une coolly replied as several flashbulbs simultaneously went off, temporarily blinding her. Damn, I don't have time for this. Lady Une thought as she made a run for the awaiting limousine that was on standby.  
  
She breathed a sigh of relief as she swiftly got into the vehicle. She was glad that there was a solid barrier that kept the hounds at bay. She could still hear the insistent knocking all over the car as it began to edge its way out of the facility. A small squeak that came from her left reminded her that she wasn't the only passenger in the car.  
  
"I just want to let you know that when I signed up for this job, it didn't include being stampeded on by a pack of blood thirsty reporters," the harassed-looking woman commented as she fixed the remains of what seemed to be a French twist. "Madam, they grabbed me by the hair! That could have resulted into a permanent bald spot!" She wailed.  
  
Lady Une chuckled softly and shook her head. "What will I do without you, Anna?" she said, her voice containing a hint of sarcasm.  
  
Anna pouted and indignantly replied, "You owe me big time! The only reason that I'm still here is because my prince charming hasn't come yet and swept me off my feet."  
  
Lady Une patted Anna's head and said with saccharine sweetness, "oh he'll come for sure. . . "  
  
Their friendly banter was quickly cut short when the sharp ringing of a phone cut through the air. Anna immediately rummaged through her bag and whipped out her hand phone.  
  
"Ma'am, Ms. Relena wishes to speak to you."  
  
Lady Une accepted the phone and brought it to her ear. "Ms. Relena, how may I help you?"  
  
"I'm sorry, please wait a minute while I transfer your call to her," came a timid reply then followed by beeping sounds.  
  
"Lady Une?" Relena's voice interrupted the monotonous beeps.  
  
"Yes, its me, ma'am. What can I do for you?" Lady Une politely replied. Even though Relena is much younger than she was, she addressed her formally for her position is higher than hers.  
  
"I heard about the incident on the news, is everything alright over there?"  
  
Lady Une promptly gave a straightforward, summarized report over the details of the explosion. "There is no need for you to worry about this, I will settle this problem, everything is under control," she reassured, knowing that Relena has an extreme load of other matters to settle with.  
  
"I see. I will leave everything to you then. Please keep me updated on the progress of the situation."  
  
"Yes ma'am."  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
"Ms. Relena, please hurry up. You're due to come out in a few minutes." whispered a tall woman with flaming-red hair as she approached Relena. The two were standing behind the sideline curtains of a stage. The voice of a man, amplified by speakers, droned on in the background.  
  
Relena hanged up and then passed the phone to her secretary. "Thank you Alice. Has everybody arrived already?" she asked as she quickly straightened her suit.  
  
"Yes, and the meeting had already started. You better hurry and join in while they are still in the introductions."  
  
  
  
As if on cue, they heard Relena's name being announced through the speakers that were hooked all over the huge conference room. Relena drew a quick breath and then calmly strolled onto the stage. Alice trailed behind her, carrying a laptop, which she uses to record notes during her employer's meetings.  
  
* * *  
  
Relena's determined face shone brightly on the screen of a laptop computer that was placed on a rickety table. Her firm voice was the only noise that disturbed the dead silence that engulfed the room. Flashing pictures shown on the screen, its blinking lights revealed the room's interior, which was well hidden in the shadows. It looked like a dilapidated, one room apartment. Debris cluttered all over the room, the only light bulb that hung on the ceiling was broken, the bed was nothing more but a torn mattress, it looked like as if no one has lived there for many years. A dark figure huddled on a broken swivel chair and continued to watch the screen, as if mesmerized by its light.  
  
The soft glow of the screen reflected brightly against piercing cobalt blue eyes. The eyes kept staring unblinkingly into the monitor. They seem to give off a startling fluorescent glow on their own, as if they would light up even in the darkest of nights without the aid of an external light source.  
  
"Perfect…" came out in a low, husky voice. A sly smile slowly worked its way on the person's mouth."  
  
* * *  
  
"Great speech Ms. Relena, everything was perfectly executed," Alice complimented Relena as she followed her out of the building.  
  
"Thank you Alice. I'm going home now. Please send the revised notes on the meeting to me as soon as possible." Relena gave the last order for the day to her secretary as she stepped into her private limousine.  
  
"Yes ma'am," the red head replied, giving a small respectful bow towards the car as it slowly made its way out of the driveway. When Relena said "as soon as possible", she knew that it meant to have everything done by the time she reaches home. She knew she had no time to waste upon finishing the report.  
  
Alice quickly walked towards her own car and hurriedly drove towards her own apartment. She needed to get back as fast as possible so that she can swiftly finish the notes.  
  
"Let's see," she said as she quickly imagined the distance between the conference to Relena's mansion and to her own apartment. "It takes me around 30 minutes to get back while Relena-san need about an hour… I have plenty of time to do everything!" she exclaimed and breathed out a quick sigh of relief.  
  
Alice turned on the car radio and hummed along with it as she quietly drove home. Before she knew it, she was approaching the last turn to her apartment block. In one swift move, she parked her car in her usual spot. She gathered all her belongings and hurriedly made her way up the tall building.  
  
The elevator car made a small ring, signaling that it has arrived at its destination. Automatically, Alice stepped out and turned to the right. She just had enough time to see the door of her apartment before it burst into flames with a large explosive force. She was thrown a great distance back, her body was enveloped with intense heat. The air was fast filling up with smoke.  
  
Choking, Alice struggled with all her strength to get as far as she can away from the fire. After inhaling in too much smoke and ash, her body gave in and she lost consciousness.  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
"Who do you think did it?" a feminine voice spoke out.  
  
"I'm still trying to figure out the relationship between the two incidents," replied a deep, masculine voice.  
  
Slowly, with blinking eyes, the image of an unfamiliar, white ceiling came into view. Alice blinked even more as she tried to figure out what was happening in her surrounding. She turned her head towards the direction of the voices she heard, her head aching as she did so. Relena's golden brown tresses that hung at her back came into view. She was absorbed in a discussion with a young man who was about the same age as her. The young man had wild, dark brown hair and was clad in a denim jacket and jeans. She knew exactly who it was.  
  
"And as I've told you before, you should've stayed in your mansion and under high security until I figure out what's going on, you shouldn't have come here! Something might happen to you if you're out in the open like this!"  
  
"But Heero, my secretary got attacked! And I refuse to being cooped up in my house, I have to settle this problem!" Relena angrily retorted back.  
  
"The doctor said that she only suffered minor injuries, she could resume her daily activities after a few days of rest," Heero spoke coldly.  
  
"Please don't worry about me… Relena-san," Alice weakly spoke out, interrupting the heated conversation.  
  
"Oh, Alice, you're awake. How do you feel?" Relena immediately diverted her attention to the weak patient.  
  
"I'm fine, these are nothing compared to all the backbreaking work I will have to do when I get back," Alice gave a weak smile.  
  
"I'm so sorry that you got caught up in all of these, I'm sure this happened to you because of me."  
  
"The more reason that you must stay under close watch. Obviously, these people we are dealing with are not afraid to do whatever it takes to achieve their goal," Heero butted in. Relena's safety is the only thing that occupied his mind.  
  
"Will you please stop that for one minute? You sound like an overprotective mother," Relena shot back, earning an icy glare followed by silence from the boy. After having a few seconds of glaring at each other, she turned her attention back to her secretary. "Alice, as it is my fault that your home got blown up, I insist that you stay temporarily at my mansion. It'll be much safer for you to stay over there too."  
  
"Uh… thank you very much Ms. Relena," Alice softly spoke with great gratitude for Relena's kindness.  
  
"Of course, I can't just ignore you, you've been with me ever since I became the Foreign Minister again." Relena gave a warm smile. She remembered when she first started office after the United Earth Nations was established, that was also when she first met Alice, who was the most efficient secretary and a kind friend that she could ever have.  
  
As the two girls started reminiscing embarrassing blunders that they had made over the year, Heero silently walked out of the room.  
  
Closing the door behind him, he noticed that there were three big, burly men in black suits standing in a standard formation outside the hospital room. He then walked towards the nearby window at the end of the corridor. Looking down, he found a few more men in similar clothing standing guard in front of the entrance. He had no doubt that there were probably a few more bodyguards inside the building. An invisible smile formed. He was at least satisfied for the minimum security imposed on Relena.  
  
He backed up and slumped onto the wall. Staring at the floor, he started to think about the current situation.  
  
That "Storage Facility" is an undercover warehouse that stored the weapons and machines of the Preventers. It is by no doubt meant to disrupt or stop the Preventers but what does that have with Relena? She doesn't have anything to do at all with that organization except talk to Lady Une about it. Other than that, she does nothing nor receive anything from the organization. Heero pondered over the facts of the situation. He knew that Relena has a very strong influence and most probably holds the key to the objective of the intruder, but he could not find a reason for the relationship of the two incidents. It was clear that they wear dealing with a cunning foe.  
  
"Hey, whenever you need help, don't hesitate to ask somebody for it. Sheesh, you are always like this, trying to do everything on your own," a voice spoke out, interrupting Heero's thoughts.  
  
Heero looked up to his side. A young man stood there, watching him with a big smile on his face. He waved his hand in familiarity towards Heero.  
  
"Haven't seen you for a long time."  
  
"Duo…" Heero spoke with a slight surprise in his voice.  
  
  
  
  
  
End of Chapter One  
  
  
  
*co-written with sister yuffie* 


	2. Chapter 2

Operation Comet  
  
Chapter two  
  
  
  
A long, soul-stirring violin solo pierced the still air. The stringed instrument's wild, natural shrill turns into a beautiful melodic voice under gentle trained hands. The intriguing music is flowing out from the fortress-like mansion that belongs to the Raberba family.  
  
In this small, peaceful colony, there are no such things as a president or a minister. There is no such thing as a government or a parliament either. The citizens coexist with each other using the simple basic rules of trust and peace. The people there lived very simple lives and that is to do their jobs and provide for their own families. If a serious dispute does surface, the people always head for the one consultant that they trust, which is the Raberba family.  
  
Mr. Raberba, the head of the family, is the most revered person on the colony. So respected that he may be easily concluded to be the leader of the people, but he does not rule the people. Instead, he acts more like an advisor, to which everybody respects his decisions.  
  
His only son, Quatre, has replaced Mr. Raberba, having died in an unfortunate incident. As young as he is, he has quickly gained the respect of the people due to his kindness and resolution. Not only Quatre inherited his father's position, he has also acquired his wealth and business. He is now trying to run the family business in accordance to his desire to live a normal life. He wished to put his past experiences as a Gundam pilot behind him and start his life anew.  
  
Quatre continued playing the violin until the sound of wooden knocks reached his ears. He turned to face the door as a figure stepped in.  
  
"Oh, pardon my presence, Master Quatre. I had to come in and admire your playing as I was really intrigued by your music," the blond girl shyly implored the young man.  
  
"No, its okay Geraldine. I'm glad that you like it," Quatre replied sweetly. Politely, he went over to a nearby chair and pulled it up, gesturing his guest to sit on it.  
  
The young lady gave a small bow of gratitude before walking towards the inviting chair. She sat down in the gentlest manner and gave a honeyed smile. Clearly, she was a young woman brought up in a distinguished family. Possessing impeccable manners, she was a sweet, demure lady who was well liked by all. She had royal blond tresses that extends to her shoulders. It matched beautifully with her emerald green eyes.  
  
"So, how do find this colony so far?" Quatre asked innocently, striking up a conversation.  
  
"Oh its very beautiful, its so much more wonderful compared to my home colony. Everybody is just so warm and friendly," the girl replied charmingly.  
  
"Is that so? I'm glad that you're having a good time," Quatre answered sincerely. He was about to say more when the door sounded again.  
  
"Please excuse me," La Sheed spoke as he entered the room. "Master Quatre, I have something very important to discuss with you about." As he finished, his eyes coldly fixed on the person that had no relevance to this matter. "If you would please…"  
  
Flustered, Geraldine quickly apologized and excused herself. The door gently closed behind her with a click.  
  
"I'm sorry Master Quatre. I know that she belongs to a notable family and she is quite a charming young lady, but she just seems to be too good to be true." La Sheed shot suspicious glances at the door as if expecting to see somebody eavesdropping through it.  
  
"Don't suspect people too much La Sheed, or else you will never learn what they are truly like," Quatre gently advised one of the most important person in his life. La Sheed has always been there whenever he needed him and he understood his feelings more than anybody else.  
  
"I'm sorry Master Quatre, forgive me for being so suspicious. It is just that I'm very worried for you. I know that you are currently looking for your future bride and I just wanted to make sure that you get the right one." La Sheed admitted sincerely, his head lowered.  
  
"You do that to practically every girl I talked to. I swear, you're starting to sound like a mother La Sheed…" Quatre commented lightly, chuckling softly afterwards. La Sheed became speechless with shock, he nearly fell back at the unprecedented remark. "Anyway, what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?"  
  
"Oh yes. It is the matter concerning on the recent events on Earth. I thought it might interest you," with that, La Sheed handed an imported newspaper to Quatre.  
  
Curious, Quatre took the newspaper and folded it open. Immediately, his eyes widened as they caught the headlines. "Mr. Edwards has been murdered?" Quatre gasped loudly, nearly crushing the newspaper in his shock.  
  
"Yes, it just happened on Earth a few days ago. Other than that, I have heard quite a lot of things happening on Earth lately…"  
  
"I have to talk to Relena about this, she must know what has been happening on Earth," Quatre hurriedly ran towards the nearest phone and started dialing Relena's private office number.  
  
* * *  
  
"Hello?" Relena replied anxiously as she picked up her private phone. The line has been rarely used, as only a handful of people know the number. Whenever it rang, it usually meant great trouble.  
  
"Its me, Quatre. Sorry to bother you but I just heard that Mr. Edwards has been assassinated. Is that true? What is happening over there?" Quatre blurted out, going straight to the point.  
  
"Oh that one… yes, it is true I'm afraid. Don't worry about it, Lady Une is handling the situation right now," Relena assured.  
  
"Can you tell what has been happening please? I hear that many things have happened…" Quatre implored, his static voice coming softly from the other side of the line.  
  
"Oh those were just minor accidents. Most of it has been already taken care of," Relena lied, her voice containing no sign of hesitation.  
  
Enough already, you have already done more than enough in helping people with your Gundam… please live your own life as you want to. Relena spoke despairingly in her mind. She knew that all of the Gundam pilots that visited Earth one year ago desired for a peaceful life more than anybody else. It was bad enough that Heero and Duo are helping out in this situation, but the others pilots are starting to find out about it. She did not want any more of them to get involved in this problem.  
  
After doing her best in avoiding and lying about the topic, she finally managed to convince Quatre to forget about the matter. She gave out a sigh of relief as she put down the phone.  
  
That was close. Relena leaned back on her chair to allow her body to relax as she began to think about the current predicament.  
  
It was perfectly natural for Quatre to be concerned about Mr. Edwards' assassination. To the eyes of the public, he was just an ordinary businessman who owns a group of successful companies, but secretly, he is one of the few suppliers that provides unit forces for the Preventers. Very few people know about his hidden connection and he was made to swear to secrecy. Plus, the fact that extreme care was done to minimize the amount of papers regarding the progress of the production and that the papers are immediately destroyed after use makes it nearly impossible for anybody to find any idea at all about this project. Who is able to gather information about this?  
  
Relena's eyes wandered lazily around the room as her brain searched for answers. Her gaze fell upon her desk and a sudden thought flashed through her mind. She shot upright as she began to stare at the big clutter of papers on her table. Could it be…  
  
* * *  
  
After the voice of Relena bid goodbye, the click of the phone signaled that she had already hung up and that the conversation was over.  
  
Everything is going according to plan… except Relena seems to be starting to realize who is perpetrator… the unknown figure mused as static sounds came from the transmitter of the headphones.  
  
The character slid off the object its head. With the flip of a switch, dead silence replaced the distorted sound.  
  
* * *  
  
"Trowa, where are you?" Catherine called out as she walked through the semi-dark backstage of the circus tent, passing various crates containing assorted props used for different performances.  
  
"Over here Catherine," Trowa gently answered as he stepped out of the shadows, approaching the young knife thrower.  
  
"Why do you always have to disappear right before our act? You're always making me think that you ran off and started fighting again," the young lady pouted, folding her arms.  
  
Chuckling, Trowa just replied that he was just merely feeding the lions and he gave his warmest smile, nearly causing Catherine to fall back and get flustered. Though the young boy seemed more cheerful for the past few months, it was still rare for him to show such a sign of vulnerable familiarity. It was as if he has finally opened his heart to people after years of shutting it close under lock and key.  
  
"Anyway, are you ready? We're up next in a few minutes," Catherine eagerly informed him as she made some last minute tidying of her costume.  
  
Trowa nodded confidently and then head for the position where he was supposed to make his entrance.  
  
* * *  
  
"… and now I present to you, the skillful acrobat who knows no fear, Trowa Barton!" The announcer exclaimed enthusiastically, making a grand gesture towards the poles in the sky.  
  
Energetic claps and cheers erupted from the audience as the spotlight lighted up, aiming at the slim figure standing on the platform high in the air.  
  
Trowa stretched out his arms, presenting himself as the performer, as he let the audience applaud for a little longer. He drew in a quick breath as he jumped off the board.  
  
Adeptly, he grabbed the swinging bar as it oscillated towards him. As he swooped towards the other side, Trowa noticed that the bar seemed to be giving away as the wire extended in a jerkily manner. He immediately realized that he had to move fast or else the wire will snap off completely, leaving him to plunge 20 meters down to the hard ground below.  
  
At the precise moment, Trowa let go of the bar and executed a few twists and somersault before landing gracefully on thin wire, but as soon as most of Trowa's mass weighed on the tightrope, it immediately snapped.  
  
Thrown off guard, Trowa fell back as he stared to fall down. Within the few split seconds before his descent starts to accelerate, a shiny flash from the dark shadows behind the top row at the stands caught his eye.  
  
His eyes widened in surprise. A violet-haired character wearing black shades held a sniper rifle pointing right at his head. In the midst of the loud gasps of crowd, the figure pulled the trigger. The bullet shot out in near silence, the sound caused being to soft to be heard in the noisy crowd, due to the sniper-specialized extreme smoothness of the barrel.  
  
Trowa had just enough time to twist his body out of the bullet's path. The tiny, deadly bullet shot past his head, missing it only by a centimeter. Trowa plunged wildly as his body was out of control. The last thing he remembered were the frantic screams of the audience and the cries of his fellow circus performers, which came from below.  
  
* * *  
  
Harsh white fluorescent light started to penetrate through Trowa's eyelids, forcing him to awaken. Trowa grunted as he tried to move his body. Each movement he did sent a shock of stinging pain throughout his body. Struggling, he managed to pull himself to sit upright. Though it hurt to move, Trowa felt no serious injuries; serious being meaning a permanent effect in his daily actions. Trowa is a professional. He knew how to land in a way that protected his most vital parts.  
  
Raising his hand to massage the exploding headache in head, he felt a rough cloth amidst his hair. His head and body were bandaged. He looked around and found himself in the circus trailer.  
  
"Oh, you're awake. Thank god, I was so worried" Catherine exhaled as she rushed to the side of the young man.  
  
"Catherine…"  
  
"Sheesh, I thought that when you finally stopped being a Gundam pilot, I no longer have to keep bandaging you. Then within a year, in some cruel irony, you wound up breaking your bones once again," Catherine joked weakly, flicking off a tear at the corner of her eye.  
  
"I'm sorry…" that was the only thing that came out of Trowa's mouth. As short as it is, it seemed to be the only appropriate thing to say.  
  
He held the crying woman, showing his sincerest apology in this gesture. Catherine hugged him tight, afraid because one of her greatest fear was coming true. Trowa might leave the circus to do battle once again.  
  
* * *  
  
It was late in the night when Catherine finally left. She quietly exited the trailer, turning the lights off on her way out so that the young man could get some rest. Trowa had requested to be left alone so that he could sleep, but the moment the door closed, Trowa slowly sat up from the bed.  
  
Somebody took a lot of trouble in coming to this colony for the sole purpose of killing me. What is their reason? Would it be because I could be a threat to their plans because I was a Gundam pilot? Trowa contemplated in his mind, as he dragged himself towards the table.  
  
Once he sat down comfortably, he pulled out a laptop computer and switched it on. It wasn't long before he started accessing secret files and hacking into computers. He couldn't just ignore what just happened, he had to know what was going on.  
  
Time seemed endless, hours had passed by and Trowa was still completely focused at the words that scrolled up in the screen. Fatigue did not seem to affect him. His fixed concentration was broken only whenever his arm ached with pain.  
  
Automatically, he raised his hand to his mouth, his lips touching with his index finger. It was his habit when he was in deep thought. After reading recent news from the Earth and the colonies and checking the background of suspicious events, Trowa was able to draw up a few possible hypotheses. Evidently, he needed more time to research about the current situation but two things were clear. He has to be extra cautious from now on and Earth is once again under a major threat.  
  
  
  
  
  
End of Chapter Two 


	3. Chapter 3

Operation Comet  
  
Chapter three  
  
  
  
The still sky began to change from the shade of dark bluish purple into golden orange as the radiant glow of the rising sun began to slowly climb up from the horizon. The light rays that escaped from the globe gleamed on everything in its path. Everything seemed to be illuminated.  
  
Tiny streaks of dispersed light sneaked through the small slits of openings in a Venetian blind, barely lighting up the dark, enclosed area within. Some light rays were reflected back by smooth, black surfaces. This particular small apartment contained nothing of what you would normally find in an ordinary house, it was full of weapons and artillery of all sorts and kinds. They ranged from homemade bombs to high-powered rifles. The atmosphere was clearly filled with the air of danger.  
  
Inside the room, there was a person who was busy moving about, as if he had been up for hours. The character was busy cleaning a sleek, black pistol. Upon finishing polishing the gun, the person made a final check on the equipment, before deciding that he was satisfied. The figure reached out for a box of bullets and grabbed a handful of the contents. With a quick swing of the forearm, the empty cartridge shot out. After loading the gun, he cocked the gun, checking its balance; the weapon was ready to be used.  
  
"It is time to eliminate those who get in our way," the character muttered, placing the weapon in a leather holster before heading for the door.  
  
* * *  
  
Relena was nearly running back and forth in her large office as she began to work. She kept mumbling complaints to herself, for having so many tasks to do on a day without the aid of her secretary. She tilted her head sideways and slouched her shoulders in despair when she remembered that her beloved and much needed help would not be with her for at least a full week. She did not trust anybody else to be her replacement secretary as there were lots of confidential papers being handled. She could not ask Heero for help either because he was not supposed to know that she went out of her residential premises today and as for Duo, being a talkative person, he might accidentally tell Heero. In the end, she was left with no other choice but to do everything by herself.  
  
Time quickly flew by as her tall stack of papers gradually decreased and soon, it was time for her to go home. Relena did a cat-like stretch on her comfy chair to relax her muscles after being cooped with doing paper work for seven hours. After a few minutes of rest, she began packing some important documents in a briefcase so that she could leisurely finish some papers in the comfort of her home, thus lightening the load for the next day. Then she quickly locked up all the important documents in safe containers before leaving the room.  
  
When the automatic sliding doors quietly pulled away, Relena stepped out of the building. She paused and took one deep breath of fresh air. After spotting her parked vehicle, she cheerfully sauntered towards her limousine, despite the protests of the old chauffer. She giggled as the man fussed, offering to drive up to the entrance instead of having her to walk all the way down to the car. It was a lovely day and she was glad to take a walk in the open air, no matter how short it was.  
  
When she was about halfway the driveway, a great pain on her shoulder suddenly exploded. Her voice was caught in her throat, she wanted to scream out of agony but she couldn't. She couldn't even seem to breathe. Her head felt extremely light as blood seemed to have fully drained away from it. Her vision faded so much that half of what she saw was clouded. It did not take long before she completely lost consciousness and collapsed onto the ground.  
  
The chauffer immediately got out of the car and ran over towards his shot mistress. He dropped to his knees as he bent down and inspected the wound. Relena had been shot at her shoulder from the back. The shot barely missed her vital organs but it could have shattered her shoulder bone. It was critical to move her as gently as possible as there were great risks or worsening the fracture. Blood started to flow freely out from the opening. Panicking, the old man hurriedly rushed her to the nearest hospital.  
  
* * *  
  
When Relena finally regained consciousness, she found herself in the emergency room of a hospital. She gently sat up from the bed and waited for her eyes to get back in focus.  
  
How long have I been here? She queasily asked herself, raising a hand to support her throbbing head.  
  
The next thing she noticed was that there were two young men noisily debating beside her, well, at least one of them was noisy. She softly cleared her throat as a gentle reminder to the two that there was an injured patient in the room.  
  
"Hey, are you alright Relena?" Duo worriedly asked, quickly coming over to her side.  
  
Relena nodded politely before she noticed that the other boy was glaring angrily at her. She did not need to ask him for the reason why he is mad because she already knew the answer. Heero specifically told her off several times not to go out alone for it was far too risky in the current situation. She stubbornly refused to listen to him as she was more determined to do her duty than her safety. Relena smiled, for she knew that behind that angry scowl, Heero was actually very relieved that she was still alive.  
  
"How long was I…" Relena faintly asked, her body seemed to be gradually regaining strength.  
  
"For about a day," Heero replied instantly.  
  
"Ms. Relena!" Alice exasperatedly cried out as she burst through the double swinging doors. When she saw her, she hastily ran over and hugged her employer tightly, causing Relena to wince and fight back the familiar pain in her shoulder. "Thank goodness you're alright!! I immediately ran over when I heard that you were shot." Alice let go of Relena due to her protest and flicked off a tear at the corner of her eye. She was still partially wrapped with bandages.  
  
"I'm fine. You shouldn't have come here as you yourself is still injured," Relena gently spoke to her as she patted the older woman on the back.  
  
"Can you walk?" Heero inquired abruptly, sounding more like ordering her rather than questioning her.  
  
As Relena was about to reply, distant loud explosions suddenly sounded off. The girls started screaming as random booming blasts seemed to come from different sections of the hospital. The resounding bursts slightly shook the floor and the walls of the structure, nearly knocking everybody off their feet. Judging from the amplitude of the bangs, it sounded like the source was not too far off from their current location.  
  
"What was that?" Alice asked, her voice slightly quivering with fear. She kept turning around, trying to determine where the sound originated.  
  
"I'll go and check it out," Duo volunteered and ran out of the room before Heero moved. Heero decided to stay and guard Relena, in case something might happen to her, which will most probably happen. It was best that he stayed there.  
  
For a few nerve-wracking minutes, everything became quiet, too quiet for comfort. Heero concentrated not to let his guard down as this was the critical moment if an attack should initiate. Suddenly, a clink sounded fro behind him. A metal canister had falled into the middle of the room from air duct on the ceiling. Everybody's attention were instantly directed towards the object  
  
"What the?" Heero just had enough time to see the object before the can popped open and emitted blinding white light, momentarily paralyzing everybody in the room. Then a split second later, the item burst open and the whole room was instantly enveloped with thick white smoke.  
  
Heero quickly covered his nose and mouth in a pure reflexive action. Then he realized that the smoke was not tear gas nor it contained any chloroform to put them to sleep. It was just plain smoke.  
  
Blinded by the dense cloudy mass, Heero strained his eyes to see through but it was no use. He could not see anything even if it was just a foot away. He struggled to find Relena in the midst of the translucent haze. His heart began to beat faster as anxiety began to rush up within him.  
  
A few seconds after the smoke bomb exploded, a piece of the ceiling board fell, giving a soft thud upon landing on the ground. Another thud let everybody know that an invader has just entered the premises of the room. Nobody could tell how dangerous this person was but they were sure that danger was imminent. Relena let out a soft gasp of fear.  
  
Heero immediately panicked as Relena gave away her position. He was about to run towards her when a high, sideways kick knocked him on the side of the head, sending him flying a good five feet away. He crashed hard on a rolling table. Both girls screamed.  
  
Damn, I can't take handle this guy while Relena is in the room… Heero mentally cursed as he swiftly picked himself up, doing his best not to make any sound. When he was trying to determine the position of the intruder, he realized that the fog cover was lessening. This gave him an advantage. He laid low so that he won't be noticed easily. This action also gave him a chance to find the enemy first. It did not take long before he saw unfamiliar combat boots, they definitely did not belong to Relena nor her secretary. Whoever this person is, he is extremely good in walking in complete silence. He barely even disturbed the smoke. Heero mused as he observed the other guy's movements.  
  
"Relena! Run out of the room with your secretary now!" Heero suddenly shouted, startling the intruder. Simultaneously, he grabbed the nearest object he could reach and threw it in the opposite direction of Relena. Metallic clanging coming from all over the room confused the figure for a few seconds. Heero swiftly ran up behind the enemy and grabbed his arms, pinning him helpless.  
  
Relena and Alice scrambled towards the door as the enemy struggled violently under Heero's grip.  
  
Heero wore an invisible smile as he heard the door click. His mind was less at ease now for as far as he is concerned, Relena is no longer in danger. Then he suddenly realized something was very strange about the situation. The person he was holding was a bit shorter than he was and seemed to lack in the physical strength department. The arms he was pinning did not seem masculine at all. He was fighting with a young girl!  
  
* * *  
  
Panting, Relena dashed as fast as she could to safest part of the building. Alice was trailing right behind her. It seemed that they had to keep taking a detour, as every corner seemed to have an explosion, or a fire or a wild stampede of people. Panic seemed to exist everywhere in the large structure. They have been running nonstop for about 10 minutes. Then it finally seemed that they have escaped the danger zone as they have not seen anything or anyone for the last two minutes.  
  
Thinking that it was safe for them to hang in this area, the two girls stopped in a desolate corridor and took the time to catch their breath. Both girls took in quick breaths to calm down their body. Eventually, their heartbeats pounded slower.  
  
Not knowing what to do next, both of them decided that it was best that they stood still and wait until Heero comes and fetch them. None of them spoke anything as they sat down and waited. Minutes seemed to slowly inch by and not a single soul passed by.  
  
"Relena! What are you doing here?" Duo cried out, suddenly coming out from an intersection that they had just passed. He was panting lightly as he paused. His large cobalt eyes indicated his surprise but it also seemed to contain something else…  
  
Both girls stood up and turned right as the young man with braided brown hair slowly advanced towards them. But at that moment, an ominous click echoed slowly down the corridor.  
  
"Look out behind you!!!" Duo screamed as he dashed towards the girls.  
  
Relena and Alice promptly turned around and were shocked to see a short figure wearing kid's clothes and dark shades pointing a gun right at them. The two girls were helpless with no protection in between the killer and Duo. Duo was too far away to save them in time.  
  
The barrel suddenly shifted towards Relena's direction. The kid instantly pulled the trigger, the bullet shot out of the barrel with a deafening bang. Acting upon the first thought that came to her mind, Alice instantaneously tackled Relena down. The bullet missed them. The kid cursed as he continued shooting, this time at Duo, before jumping into the next room. Duo narrowly dodged each shot as he continued running towards the figure. By the time he reached the room, it was already empty and the window was wide open. He looked over the window but saw no trace of the mysterious kid anywhere. He got away…  
  
Duo promptly returned to the two girls who were still on the ground. Both were struggling to get up. They were groaning on the account of their injuries.  
  
"Are you alright, Ms. Relena?" Alice asked breathlessly, her hair messed up all over the place.  
  
"I landed… on my injured… shoulder…" Relena gritted her teeth hard trying to fight the throbbing pain. Her body was violently shaking because of its suffering. A crimson red spot began to grow on the robe at her right shoulder.  
  
"I'm sorry that I caused you this," Duo apologized solemnly as he helped pick Relena up, "I'm afraid I led him in here. I was fighting with him when he suddenly ran away. I was chasing him when I found you two."  
  
Halfway Duo's explanation, Relena lost consciousness once again. Doing his best to carry Relena as gently as he could, he led the two girls to safety.  
  
* * *  
  
Heero was still fighting with the mysterious girl. The smoke screen has finally fully lifted. He could now see clearly his opponent.  
  
It was a young girl, a little bit younger than himself. She had violet eyes and even though her hair is stuffed under a beret, he could see that she had rich dark green hair. Though she was pretty slim, she possessed enough skills to be a deadly assassin, actually more than enough. Even though she fought with no weapons, she proved herself to be a difficult opponent. Somehow, he felt something else that was really strange as he fought with her. It was as if he had met her somewhere before…  
  
On the other hand, the girl seemed totally indifferent to him. Strangely, she seemed to be happy because of this fight. She was excited because she had met someone who was a worthy adversary. The girl focused on Heero's eyes, trying to read his mind so that she could predict his next move. But when she stared long into his eyes, she suddenly fell back as if an invisible force hit her. She began to drop her guard and seemed to be softening on her personality.  
  
"Oniichan?" She breathed out softly, almost as if she was afraid to ask the question.  
  
Heero felt like a ton of bricks fell on him. This was something he definitely did not expect. He was about to ask her more, when something happened.  
  
The girl suddenly clapped a hand to her right ear as she listened to a receiver plugged in there. Her expression made a drastic change from curious to shock. Without saying anything at all, she looked up and gazed at Heero's face, as if contemplating something. Suddenly, she threw a smoke bomb to the floor in between them. It exploded immediately upon impact. The room was once again clouded with smoke, but instead, when it cleared out in a few seconds, the girl was gone.  
  
"What the hell is going on here?" Heero muttered under his breath. Thousands of questions barraged violently in his mind. Why are they attacking Relena? What is their ulterior motive? Why did they suddenly back off? Who is behind all this? But most important of all, who was that green haired girl?  
  
  
  
  
  
End of Chapter three 


	4. Chapter 4

Operation Comet Chapter four  
  
In the midst of an unknown thick forest, there stood a tall metallic structure known as Gundam. The giant robot remained perfectly still against a steep cliff which hid it from most views. The majestic machine carried a strong air of noble power that it seemed to overwhelm everything in the surrounding green nature.  
  
Welcoming warmth from the orange glow in the sky dominated the isolated region. The free spirit of flying creatures roamed the skies and along with them, refreshing cool breezes blew in. The dense greenery and its inhabitants were most peacefully quiet. A strong sense of serenity existed everywhere.  
  
A young, dark haired boy sat down on the ledge of the cliff beside the Gundam, his feet dangling still two hundred feet above ground. He was the only human in the territory of eight miles radius and this was what he wanted, perfect solitude. He just sat unmoving there and stared blankly into the sinking sun as if his mind was in deep meditation. He was the pilot of the Gundam and his name was Chang Wu Fei.  
  
Wu Fei was the fifth Gundam pilot that was involved in the infamous Operation Meteor that took place in the previous year. He had come from the L5 colony, something which no longer exists due to past events. He shut his eyes and breathed in deeply, recalling his past for which he was ashamed of.  
  
* * *  
  
"You're going to drop the whole colony? That's stupid!" Wu Fei angrily spat out, not being able to control his rage. When he first heard of what the elders had decided to do, he quickly burst in and confronted them, disregarding all the values of respect that he was brought up with.  
  
"The Alliance have chosen our colony to carry out Operation Meteor and we have agreed, there is nothing more to be said," the old woman spoke firmly, making her judgment final.  
  
"All we need to do is just rid of all the evils! If nobody will do it, I will do it myself!" And with that, Wu Fei promptly bolted out of the large, grand hall, giving nobody a chance to try to talk him out of his resolve.  
  
And with his mind set solely for that purpose, he stole and piloted a Gundam that was designed for the mission and headed towards Earth. After a year of harsh fighting and painful betrayals, he had remained true to his word. He had killed Treize Krushurenada, the leader of the special force, OZ. OZ was the result of a group of specials that developed weapons for the Military of Federation. OZ was the reason why the Federation had gone mad with power, supplying them with great military power therefore making them arrogant enough to decide to take over all the peaceful Colonies in space and ruling them in oppression. But the main reason that sparked the real fury in the hearts of every Colony civilians was the assassination of Heero Yui, the pacifist and the voice that kept the Colonies together. He was murdered due to the danger he imposed on the Federation's plan.  
  
After the whole horrible ordeal was over, Wu Fei immediately head back to the L5 Colony, eager to come home and bring the good news to his people. He longed to see the faces of his seniors again for they have trained with him and taught him everything he knew and were closer to him than what most families would be. They used to tease him constantly for being the youngest of all the disciples. He used to hate it immensely, but now, he was more than willing to bear with it if it meant hearing their voices again. He wanted to see his kind old mentor, who had practically raised him since he was a child. He had always looked to him as a gentle father. He wanted to burst into the chambers of the elders and announce to them that the Colony was finally free. His heart pounded loud in his chest out of excitement while his mind was full of thoughts about things he wanted to do.  
  
When he saw a single spot at the far distant, he knew that he would be reaching the settlement soon. Wu Fei could not suppress doing something that he has not done for a long time, he smiled. His cheeks felt stiff as the grin slowly stretched across his face. But as he neared, he noticed that something was strange. Flashes of light were coming from the Colony. Pushing the booster lever to the end, the Gundam streaked forward in great speed. Wu Fei's eyes widened and his mouth hung open upon arriving at the destination. No sound seemed to come out, his voice seemed to have failed him. Then suddenly, Wu Fei gave a long blood-curling cry of anguish and despair.  
  
The proud L5 Colony, or what remained of it, was distorted beyond recognition underneath massive balls of explosions that covered the whole structure. Small units of Tauruses and space Leos fought violently against each other in the space around the Colony. The defenders, the Leos, were overwhelming outnumbered by the superior forces and were barely able to fight back. But still, the Leos attacked bravely even though they were dying one by one.  
  
Blinded with utter fury, Wu Fei charged and slaughtered the opposing units like a bloodthirsty predator. He showed no signs of mercy as he unhesitatingly destroyed the machines one by one. A short time has only passed when he finished them all.  
  
Afterwards, he reentered the atmosphere and landed in his neighborhood, in hopes of finding anybody alive but his spirits plunged as he saw all the lifeless corpses that littered the land.  
  
Suddenly all the strength in his body disappeared and his knees buckled. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he fell down on all fours and stared blankly to the ground.  
  
Why? The question popped in his mind over and over. How did this happen? Didn't he destroy the evil? Why did this still happen? Why did he still lose everybody he loved even when he fought as hard as he could for the whole past year? What had he been fighting for when he still wasn't able to prevent this?  
  
Holding his body up by his extended arms, he continued to ask questions as if expecting to find answers in doing so. He clenched hard at the gravel underneath his hands as he continued to cry.  
  
* * *  
  
Wu Fei snapped his eyes open and his mouth twitched in irritation. He loathed himself for his uselessness. He continued to watch the sun, which was now almost completely hidden from view, to soothe his mind and soul. The sky above was rapidly changing into velvety purple.  
  
Having nowhere else to go, Wu Fei decided to return to Earth. He himself did not know the reason why but he just felt that he had to go back to Earth. Since he landed, he had been going around and collecting information on how the situation was progressing. It turned out that what had attacked his home was a group of stray soldiers was trying to secure a base so that they could recover some resources.  
  
It did not matter to Wu Fei whose sides those soldiers were for. In fact, he felt that injustice was being done to soldiers now that the war was over. Soldiers, whoever sides they are from, are men who knew nothing but how to fight. In this way, it made all of them the same. These men risked their lives fighting for their own beliefs. But when peace emerges, these men quickly lose their purposes and are cast aside as if garbage. This was how the people, for whom they fought for, pay them back for their sacrifices. What could a man, who knows nothing but how to fight, live in a world where no more fighting are done and no help were given to them?  
  
It is because of this reason that his home got destroyed. Wu Fei gritted his teeth hard as he remembered his hate for the United Earth Nation who talks nothing about peace when they have abandoned those who gave them the peace.  
  
Wu Fei took in deep breaths in attempts to cool himself down. He began to meditate in order to clear his mind, which he needed badly. He did not know what to do for his life, he was in bad need of direction. He sat still and cleared his mind until all he thought of was the cooling sensation he felt as the wind blew past his skin.  
  
* * *  
  
It was late at night when Wu Fei decided to head towards a nearby town to buy some needed supplies. He quickly climbed down from the small mountain and weaved through the thick trunks that made up the forest before finding a narrow trail that lead to the village.  
  
Wu Fei casually strolled down the path as he carefully mused over his next action and destination. His concentration was immediately broken when he noticed a slim silhouette waiting in front of him.  
  
Slightly surprised to see somebody in these woods, Wu Fei kept his composure and barked at the person to get out of his way. The dark figure did not seem to make any attempt at all to do what he said, but instead, it seemed to provoke him further.  
  
A nerve twitched irritatingly on the side of Wu Fei's forehead. He especially did not like people making fun of him. He demanded the person to state his name and purpose but again, the figure did not do anything but to continue to look at him.  
  
During the tense silence the hung in the air between the two, a strong breeze blew by, creating a loud rustling noise as leaves rubbed against each other. The dark clouds slowly rolled by, letting moonlight hit the clearing. The mysterious person's appearance was gradually revealed as the light climbed up his body.  
  
A pair of light brown cargo pants came into view, it hung loosely on firm, curvy hips. A belt full of bulging pockets circled the hips. A long fat braid of purple hair whipped about behind the figure as the wind continued to blow in. An impudent grin was worn on his face. Soon his eyes met with a pair of starling light grayish ones that stared blankly at his.  
  
"A woman?" Wu Fei spoke disbelievingly, then his eyebrows furrowed and spoke in a very insolent voice, "you better go back and do your duties, I don't want to fight with weak women, especially those who don't know their place."  
  
He seemed to have hit a nerve because the moment when he finished talking, the impertinent smile quickly changed into a thin-lipped, loathing scowl. Her eyes seemed to be dangerously shooting daggers at his. Finally, a short mocking laugh escaped in a husky voice. "You shouldn't look down on people, no matter who they are. You'll pay dearly when I make you eat your words!" the girl shouted as she suddenly charged towards Wu Fei.  
  
Wu Fei waited arrogantly for his pursuer to come. When the first punch came, he deftly dodged it but was caught off guard when the girl turned swiftly and delivered a kick that hit him hard at the side of his stomach. It was immediately followed by her braid, which whisked and painfully hit him in the face. Wu Fei staggered back a bit while the girl contemptuously grinned back. He promptly retaliated and the assaults barraged on.  
  
Swishing arms and flying legs furiously filled the air between the two as much turning and twisting occurred. It was hard to tell who was winning as the two, even though they both suffered some blows, kept striking back as though they have not. Wu Fei was furious for having to fight with someone who he classified as an unworthy opponent but he was even more enraged to find that person to be in the same caliber as him. It did not take long before he discovered a flaw to her techniques, giving him a winning advantage to the fight.  
  
Spotting an opportunity, he unhesitatingly seized it, allowing him to manage to lock the violet haired girl's arms behind her. She violently struggled to get free but he kept a strong hold on her.  
  
"Who are you working for?" Wu Fei shouted as he strained to keep her in control.  
  
Suddenly, the girl jumped and flipped over him, managing to break away from his grip. As if not wanting to wait any longer to finish him off, she angrily struck hard at his back neck, causing him to lose consciousness instantaneously.  
  
* * *  
  
Wu Fei groaned as he picked himself up from the ground. His body ached in protest as he moved. He was quite disorientated but he quickly remembered what had happened. He cursed out loud for having allowed someone to get the best of him. What particularly hurt his pride was the fact it was a young girl who did it. Without any further delay, he surveyed his surrounding and was glad that he had not been taken away nor was he killed, he was not really sure if that was a good thing.  
  
Then a sudden thought struck him. He quickly turned around and ran towards the direction where he came from. His heart pounded as he ran, his mind fixed solely on the one wild thought. It was a crazy, wild idea but he hoped that she did not do what he thought she might have done. She couldn't.  
  
Wu Fei's question received an answer. As soon as he passed the thick canopy of the forest and had a clear view of the area, he looked towards the mountain. His precious Gundam was no longer standing at its position. It was nowhere in sight.  
  
Wu Fei hit the trunk of a nearby tree with the side of a closed fist. His hand shook violently with rage.  
  
"She will pay for this insolence with her life," he snarled through gritted teeth, vowing to get his machine back, by any means possible.  
  
* * *  
  
".Vice foreign minister Relena Dorian was attacked this morning at her work place. Then on the same day, she was attacked again in the hospital where she had stayed. Her personal bodyguards refused to disclose anything about her current situation. Behind me is what is left of the hospital after it had."  
  
Quatre dropped the remote control pad of the television as he stared at the news report that was being aired. He did not realize how bad the situation was when he called Relena. It seems that the problem escalated so much that Relena was now in great personal risk.  
  
Promptly, Quatre bolted out of the room to look for La Sheed. He needed to give him some important instructions before he leaves the colony and head for Earth.  
  
  
  
End of Chapter four 


End file.
